Two Souls
by Solora Goldsun
Summary: (Vol 3 Ep 6 spoilers) When the aura transfer between Pyrrha and Amber leads to both souls inhabiting the former's body and taking turns controlling it, Jaune doesn't know how to react. He isn't sure if he'll ever get used to seeing a different person staring at him through Pyrrha's eyes half the time. A conversation with the Fall Maiden serves to partially ease his worries.


**Okay, so let's try to look at the bright side of this situation. Yes, there is a bright side! Ozpin said that Pyrrha doing the aura transfer would have unforeseen effects on her soul, but that doesn't mean that Pyrrha herself has to be changed or destroyed. I highly doubt that RT would waste two previous volumes of development, only for her to change completely because of magic. So, what are the alternatives? Watching the episode, I found myself thinking of Yu-Gi-Oh and wondered if maybe something like the relationship between Yugi and Yami would occur. What if Pyrrha simply gets an extra passenger in her mind? That wouldn't be so bad. It could lead to some interesting situations.**

 **Hope you enjoy my speculation!**

Jaune waved as he walked into the room. "Hey, Pyr-" He paused, biting his lip halfway through the greeting when his partner looked up. Instead of her usual green eyes, a pair of dark, grayish-brown orbs were regarding him. "Sorry. Hi, Amber."

A very un-Pyrrha smile spread across his partner's face and Jaune suppressed a shudder. He couldn't explain why this smile was so unlike Pyrrha's. It wasn't malicious, or anything like that. It just wasn't his friend's smile, and seeing it on her face with these strange eyes… It would take some time to get used to.

He realized that Amber had said something. "S-Sorry. Could you repeat that?" he asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

Amber regarded him patiently. "I just said hello, Jaune." Her gaze softened. "She's still here, you know. She just decided to let me take over more often, so I can get used to this body. I can retire so you can speak to her, if you wish."

Jaune shook his head. "No, it's fine. I'm just…still getting used to this." He waved a hand vaguely in her direction. "It's important that you learn how to use…use Pyrrha's body, so…" He trailed off, trying not to grimace.

"You don't need to worry about offending me," Amber said as she regarded the hesitance and lingering confusion on the boy's face. "I know that this must be hard for you and your friends. I can't imagine what it would be like to hear another person's voice coming from someone you know so well."

 _I hope he gets used to it,_ the distressed voice of her host rang in their shared mind. _I hate seeing him like this._

 _I hope_ we _can get used to this,_ Amber replied dryly as she waited for Jaune's reply. She was quickly learning that Pyrrha was the type of person to put everyone else before herself. This was especially true when Jaune was involved.

"It's pretty weird," Jaune agreed. "I'm glad that they got someone nice, though, if this thing had to be done. At least she's not sharing brains with a crazy person."

Amber chuckled. "That would have been bad. It's also very lucky that her soul wasn't damaged in any way. Or mine, for that matter."

Jaune's expression darkened as he remembered Pyrrha first telling him about what Ozpin and the others had told her. He didn't care that it had been for the good of the world. No teachers should be asking a student, especially a first-year, to make a choice like that. In the days leading up to the aura transfer, no one in the JNPR dorm had slept well. Between that and Yang's apparent hallucination during the tournament and her ongoing incarceration, happiness had become a rare thing.

Jaune, Ren, and Nora had insisted on accompanying Pyrrha to the transfer. There had been some anger, especially on the part of Ironwood, but the team had stood its ground and Ozpin agreed to let them be present.

Just before it happened, Jaune had tried talking to Pyrrha. It was a weird, jumbled mix of him trying to convince her not to go through with it and assuring her that she'd be okay and a bunch of other stuff he'd probably failed to convey. Pyrrha had silenced him with a warm, tight hug and a last smile before following Ozpin to where Amber was being kept.

The rest of Team JNPR hadn't been allowed to see the transfer, so they waited near the entrance. When the lights died down, however, Jaune didn't wait for permission to lead them over to Pyrrha.

"Pyrrha?" he had called to her as she stood up. "Are you okay?"

Pyrrha didn't turn right away, but when she did, it wasn't her face looking at him.

When Jaune had first seen those dark eyes and that foreign expression, he was pretty sure that his heart shattered. He felt Nora sob next to him and placed a hand on her shoulder, feeling numb as the shell of his partner was led away to be briefed by the people he had thought were his good, trustworthy professors.

The minutes following that had passed slower than anything Jaune could remember. He had held both Nora and Ren. Nora continued sobbing while Ren fell into a sort of stunned silence.

Then, they heard a beautifully-familiar voice call out to them. "Guys?"

When he looked at Pyrrha that second time, Jaune wasn't ashamed to admit that he had started sobbing. Her eyes were the same brilliant green as before, and that look of unselfish concern was so incredibly Pyrrha, that he momentarily forgot about the dark eyes of Amber.

There had been a lot of hugging and words of comfort between all four of them before Pyrrha was able to explain. "Guys, it's okay. I'm still here. Amber is just here with me."

Rather than destroying Pyrrha's soul or changing it, the aura transfer had essentially made her body into a shell for two separate souls. Amber was present and aware of everything, just as Pyrrha was. One or the other could take control of the body, with the second soul waiting in the background, listening and observing through the same eyes.

Over the days following the transfer, Team JNPR often saw Pyrrha sitting by herself, a glazed look on her face, and they knew that she was talking with Amber. Over time, Amber and Pyrrha learned how to take full control, how to create separate spaces in their shared mind so that some of their thoughts could be kept private, and even how to retreat to the back of that mind and go to sleep so that the other person could have some alone time.

Amber reached out and touched Jaune's arm, shaking him from his thoughts. "You still hate them, don't you?"

Jaune nodded slowly, not needing to ask what she meant. "I know it's for the sake of the world, but…messing around with auras and souls. That feels like something bad guys are supposed to do, not my profs. I see Ozpin and Glynda, and can't look at them without wanting to run them through with my sword." He knew that Ren and Nora felt the same way.

Amber felt a pang of sadness from Pyrrha and she nodded in understanding. "I don't always agree with their methods, either. But, imagine what would have happened if my attacker had gotten the rest of my powers. Just half of them are enough to change the course of things. Her obtaining all of them would have been disastrous."

"I know," Jaune sighed. "I still don't like it."

"Well, if it helps, it's rather strange for me too," Amber said with a slight grin.

Jaune blinked at her before letting out a laugh. "Good point. I'm not sure how I'd handle sharing headspace."

"Thankfully, Pyrrha and I have pretty compatible personalities," Amber said before looking at the strange hand that was now partially hers. "And, maybe once this war is over, I can find a way to leave." She clenched her fist and sighed. "Much as I like Pyrrha and want to help in any way I can, I don't want to live like this forever."

"Wouldn't you die, though?" Jaune asked. "I mean, that's why the transfer had to happen, right?"

"Yes." Amber nodded. "I suspect I would die." She smiled at Jaune's stunned expression. "When you've been given borrowed time like this, your perspective changes. When this is over, I want nothing more than to rest."

A surge of warmth traveled through her chest as Pyrrha sent her a feeling of wordless sympathy. She replied with her own sense of gratitude.

"Well," Jaune finally said. "Whatever happens, I hope we all get out of this okay."

"That is the hope," Amber agreed. "I promise you this: I will do everything in my power to make sure Pyrrha survives."

Jaune smiled. "Thanks, Amber. That means a lot."

Amber returned the smile before pausing as she felt Pyrrha request control. "Pyrrha wants to speak with you," she murmured before closing her eyes. She allowed herself to withdraw, retreating into the very back of their shared mind to give the two some privacy.

As Pyrrha went to take control, she heard Amber call to her: _You should tell him how you feel, you know. Time's not stopping for anyone._

 _I know,_ Pyrrha replied. _I will. At some point._

She could feel Amber's mental sigh as she felt her consciousness flood back into her muscles. She opened her eyes to see her confused, scared, beautiful partner staring down at her. The look of relief that crossed his face when she opened her eyes caused a few tears to emerge.

Wordlessly, she stood and wrapped her arms around Jaune's shoulders, smiling as he returned the embrace without hesitation. "We'll get through this, Jaune," she whispered. She could feel Amber sleeping in the back of her mind, a strong, oddly-comforting presence within her.

Between that, and the gentle assurance of Jaune's arms around her, she realized that she almost believed her own words.

 **I typed this fic over the course of an hour, just to get this prediction out. We'll see what ends up happening. I actually like the idea of Pyrrha having this Fall Maiden within her. I imagine that Amber has to be a pretty strong individual. Having her become a part of Pyrrha could allow our favorite Spartan to get some extra confidence. Bonus points to RT if Amber starts shipping Arkos and repeatedly nags Pyrrha to confess her feelings!**

 **I seriously hope something like this happens, rather than a more heart-breaking alternative. Well, we'll know more in…two weeks. Ugh. WHY?!**

 **Peace out.**


End file.
